RichRod hates family values

So before Rich Rodriguez arrived in Ann Arbor, Michigan's football players and the coaching staff held hands and sang Kumbaya before practice and games. Or is that RichRod is a card-carrying liberal, who drives teenage girls to abortion clinics on the weekend and has never read the Bible.

Something isn't right up north.

It seems outcast Justin Boren, a former Michigan offensive lineman, may not have been so off base when he accused RichRod of stripping the Wolverines of their close-knit, family values that the team enjoyed under former coach Lloyd Carr.

Now OL Kurt Wermers, who redshirted last season, is transferring to Ball State. Wermers commented about RichRod on the news site nwi.com and said: "I really didn't get along with the new coaches. They were bringing in a lot of different kids that were not my kind of crowd. Coach Carr's staff was a whole different ballgame. It was like a family. But when Rodriguez came in it was a whole different feeling. It was more of a business. I figured I'd get out while I could."

Wermers' comments are almost identical to those Boren made when he bolted Michigan to join bitter rival Ohio State. Boren said then: "Michigan football was a family, built on mutual respect and support for each other from (former) Coach (Lloyd) Carr on down. We knew it took the entire family, a team effort, and we all worked together.

"I have great trouble accepting that those family values have eroded in just a few months. " ... That I am unable to perform under these circumstances at the level I expect of myself, and my teammates and Michigan fans deserve, is why I have made the decision to leave."

Wermers is no Boren. But this is starting to become a trend at Michigan. There were rumors about RichRod's "values" when he was at WVU. But the players and fans seemed to tolerate him because the man won games. His games could wear thin in Ann Arbor if he doesn't win this season.

If it doesn't work out, at least he'll have more time for his family.

Second thoughts?

Do you think Ball State standout quarterback Nate Davis is second guessing his decision to leave early for the NFL?

Probably not. Davis doesn't think that way. He is now a member of the San Francisco 49ers after being selected in the fifth round Sunday. However, this is well below early expectations.

When the athletic kid stepped away from college football to chase the fame and riches of pro football he never thought he would slip this far. Many experts were saying he could find his way into the first round, but he was definitely a second-round selection.

Then he had a poor showing at the combine and he joked about his poor performance in high school classes. Now word is out that he has dyslexia, which explains his learning difficulty.

But the NFL doesn't want a quarterback who struggles with basic reading and math. There were also concerns his unorthodox throwing style, small hands and those gloves he wears. Plus, he struggled in the Cardinals biggest games of 2008.

He has a chance, though. Many players who have been overlooked or slipped have proven many GMs to be wrong. Nate Davis just may be that guy. The Sporting News believes Davis could be the future QB in San Fran.

We'll see. Davis could be a huge fifth-round steal.

Sign of the weekend?

As Ball State was fumbling away its shot at a perfect season and the Mid-American Conference championship last night, I started thinking ... is this beginning of another upset championship weekend?

It seems these conference championships never really go the way they are supposed to. Remember 2003? Oklahoma entered the Big 12 title game undefeated and No. 1 in the nation. Then Bill Snyder's K-State dominated the Sooners to the tune off 35-7. The Sooners still played in the BCS title game, where they lost again.

I even remember the first season of the BCS in 1998. That year, four teams entered the final Saturday unbeaten: Kansas State, Tennessee, Tulane and UCLA. OK, Tulane doesn't really count since they didn't register high enough on the BCS rankings.

UCLA, which looked like the nation's best team, had to go to Miami because the game was rescheduled from September following Hurricane Georges. The Hurricanes, led by Edgerrin James, won a shootout in the Orange Bowl 49-45.

Tennessee did rally to defeat Mississippi State in the SEC title tilt, but K-State fell to Texas A&M in double OT. The Wildcats' loss let Florida State, with one loss, back into the title game against the Volunteers in the Fiesta Bowl.

Could it happen today? It sure would shake things up with the BCS and give us a lot to talk about. Much more exciting than a playoff.

Our Top 25 (Dec. 1)

School (LW) Record
1. Alabama (1) 12-0
2. Florida (2) 11-1
3. Texas (3) 11-1
4. Oklahoma (4) 11-1
5. Southern Cal (5) 10-1
6. Utah (6) 12-0
7. Boise State (7) 12-0
8. Texas Tech (9) 11-1
9. Penn State (8) 11-1
10. Ball State (11) 12-0
11. Ohio State (10) 10-2
12. Texas Christian (16) 10-2
13. Cincinnati (17) 10-2
14. Georgia Tech (20) 9-3
15. Boston College (21) 9-3
16. Oklahoma State (12) 9-3
17. Oregon (22) 9-3
18. Brigham Young (24) 10-2
19. Michigan State (19) 9-3
20. Northwestern (23) 9-3
21. Georgia (13) 9-3
22. Missouri (14) 9-3
23. Mississippi (NR) 8-4
24. Pittsburgh (25) 8-3
25. Iowa (NR) 8-4

Others receiving votes: Florida State, Virginia Tech

Congrats Letterman U.

It's not easy to go undefeated, no matter what conference or level you play. Ball State is 12-0 after a big win Tuesday night against Western Michigan. The Cardinals face Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship game in December, but should get that win.

If they do, Brady Hoke's squad won't get an invitation to the BCS party. Making matters worse is they'll end up in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit in December. This is just wrong. Ball State should get a little bigger prize than partying in Detroit, getting swag bags with leftover car parts that the Big 3 can't use any longer, and facing some second-rate Conference USA team.

I agree with what one of the ESPN announcers said during the game. Let Ball State play Boise State. That would draw a nice TV audience and would be good for college football. Two undefeated teams who get left out of the BCS. The winner can bitch about how they should have been included.

Seems to be the trend this season.

Our Top 25 (Nov. 24)

School (LW) Record
1. Alabama (1) 11-0
2. Florida (3) 10-1
3. Texas (4) 10-1
4. Oklahoma (6) 10-1
5. Southern Cal (5) 9-1
6. Utah (7) 12-0
7. Boise State (8) 11-0
8. Penn State (9) 11-1
9. Texas Tech (2) 10-1
10. Ohio State (10) 10-2
11. Ball State (11) 11-0
12. Oklahoma State (13) 9-2
13. Georgia (14) 9-2
14. Missouri (13) 9-2
15. Oregon State (20) 8-3
16. Texas Christian (18) 10-2
17. Cincinnati (16) 9-2
18. Florida State (NR) 8-3
19. Michigan State (15) 9-3
20. Georgia Tech (NR) 8-3
21. Boston College (24) 8-3
22. Oregon (23) 8-3
23. Northwestern (25) 9-3
24. Brigham Young (17) 10-2
25. Pittsburgh (19) 7-3

Others receiving votes: West Virginia, Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Mississippi.

Coaching carnage

College football has entered a new era. Four head coaches (and at least one high profile coordinator) have been fired during the season.

With the firing of Ron Prince today, Kansas State officially joined the coaching carousel. The Wildcats also entered the daily rumor mill. The hot target? South Florida's Jim Leavitt, who coached under program architect Bill Snyder. Leavitt hasn't officially denied interest in the position. Instead, he was quoted in the St. Petersburg Times as saying, "You guys know this (South Florida) is my heart and soul. I'm very fortunate to be here. I think it's the best job in the country."

Leavitt to K-State makes so much more sense than many of the other rumors surrounding Tennessee, Clemson and Washington right now. Leavitt built the Bulls from the ground up, but he's taken this program as far as he can get it. He's probably ready for the new challenge on a much bigger stage. Only reason to stay is the better athletes available in Florida.

So the only thing left to figure out? Who's next? Syracuse may announce Greg Robinson's fate real soon, but don't be surprised if they don't wait until after the final game. Auburn's Tommy Tuberville could get an early exit as well if the Tigers can't get two more victories in 2008.

Clearly, some of these coaches needed to go. But other schools could take a lesson from Ball State. Coach Brady Hoke had a miserable first three years (10-24) before the Cardinals finally turned it around starting in Year 4. Since 2006, Hoke's teams have gone 21-13 (which includes an apparent victory tonight against Northern Illinois) -- thanks Nate Davis.

Patience can pay off. Unfortunately no one at the big time programs are willing to wait.

Our Top 25 (Oct. 27)

Team (LW) Record
1. Texas (1) 8-0
2. Alabama (2) 7-0
3. Penn State (3) 9-0
4. Southern Cal (4) 6-1
5. Oklahoma (5) 7-1
6. Texas Tech (7) 8-0
7. Florida (8) 6-1
8. Georgia (9) 7-1
9. Utah (10) 8-0
10. Oklahoma State (6) 7-1
11. Boise State (11) 7-0
12. Texas Christian (19) 8-1
13. Ball State (16) 8-0
14. Ohio State (12) 7-2
15. Tulsa (18) 7-0
16. Minnesota (24) 7-1
17. Missouri (20) 6-2
18. Florida State (22) 6-1
19. North Carolina (NR) 6-2
20. Michigan State (NR) 7-2
21. Brigham Young (NR) 7-1
22. LSU (13) 5-2
23. Maryland (NR) 6-2
24. West Virginia (NR) 5-2
25. South Florida (17) 6-2

Others receiving votes: Oregon, Connecticut

Observations from Saturday's Games (Oct. 25)

The Big East and ACC were shaken up Saturday, while Michigan's "Little Brother" whipped up on it. Didn't get to see as many games as I would have liked (thank you ESPN 360) because of my own work requirements. But I'm watching Penn State-Ohio State right now and wanted to let everyone know what I observed this Saturday (besides a nice 30-22 victory by Marietta College over Muskingum College).

1. Nate the Great. I have been raving about Ball State's Nate Davis all season. I think everyone else is finally catching up. Davis did about everything in the No. 20 Cardinals 38-16 victory against Eastern Michigan. Not only did he throw for 241 yards and two scores, he also caught a TD pass. I'd like to say this BSU (not Boise State) could be a BCS buster at 8-0, but the Mid-American Conference is so disrespected I don't see them cracking the Top 12 of the BCS rankings.

2. LSU defense. Really! I'm supposed to take this team serious after giving up 50-plus points in two of the past three weeks? Well I'm not and I don't think too many other people are either. I should have listened to 'Eye when he kept saying that their early wins were against inferior teams. The only two tough opponents (Florida and Georgia) just attacked the vaunted Tiger defense and uncovered many weaknesses.

3. Give me Mo. It's not like anything Georgia's Knowshon Moreno does should surprise me. But his effort against LSU was more like a season highlight reel. He finished with 163 yards, but it was his 68-yard TD run in the third quarter that totally silenced the LSU crowd. It should be noted that LSU's Charles Scott was equally impressive as he gained 144 yards and scored two touchdowns.

4. Big 12 classic. No. 1 Texas did enough to remain on top of the rankings, especially after back-to-back tough weeks and possibly looking ahead to No. 8 Texas Tech. But give No. 6 Oklahoma State a lot of credit for giving the Longhorns more than most expected in Austin. Looks like T. Boone Pickens is getting his $168 million worth (or whatever the value of his gift is now after the stock market crash). Texas QB Colt McCoy looked almost human as he threw a critical interception, but the future Heisman Trophy winner still threw for almost 400 yards. Now can Texas get up again this week?

5. Leave it to Wannstache. Just when it looks like Pitt is finally turned a corner under Dave Wannstache, the Panthers blow a game (see Rutgers 54, Pittsburgh 34). I know QB Bill Stull had to be carried off the field after hitting his helmet with a teammate, but Pitt was already struggling with Rutgers. This was bad for the Big East. Pitt, despite a loss to Bowling Green, had established itself as a legitimate team for the conference. That seems to have fallen back to WVU after Thursday's impressive win over Auburn. Throw in South Florida's loss at Louisville and the Big East is having a bad year.

5. ACC shakeup. Think the Big East is confusing, well fans of the ACC are just as confused. Following another weird week the favorites to win the conference are Florida State, Maryland and Virginia. FSU isn't so crazy, but Maryland and Virginia were written off after the first or second week. Give Ralph Friedgen and Al Groh some props for the job they have done keeping their teams focused. Many credible sources have always told me what an excellent coach Friedgen is. However, I've never heard many positives about Groh. He's got my respect now.

6. More ACC wackiness. I keep telling folks to stay away from the ACC if your picking games. I tried it again this week since it was an SEC team (Vanderbilt) playing the ACC (Duke). This seemed like an easy one, but I should have know that David Cutcliffe would have the Dookies ready for the Commodores.

7. Taking notice now. I'm not on the bandwagon, but I'm not as anti-Texas Tech as I was just 24 hours ago. The Red Raiders 63-21 whipping of Kansas was a legitimate win. Kansas is a mid-level team in most conferences, but this is the kind of win Tech needed. The hype heading into this week's game with No. 1 Texas is going to be something the folks in Lubbock have never witnessed before.

8. What's bad about the Big 12. Missouri will still likely make the conference championship game because the North Division is so crappy. Great Missouri getting the crap kicked out of them. The most exciting part of this game will be at halftime when some 5-foot-8 white guy tries to win $1 million throwing footballs at moving Dr. Pepper bottles.

9. Bama fans. Alabama's game with Tennessee isn't even over yet, but I know they are having a good week. The Tide will finish off the Vols and the win could finish Phil Fulmer at Tennessee. That's a very good week for the folks in Tuscaloosa. But I also know they enjoyed Auburn's loss at West Virginia an awful lot also. My sister lives there and when she wore her WVU jacket the next day, a number of Bama fans responded very positively.

10. Herbstreit kids. Kirk Herbstreit has cute kids. But he needs to stop bringing them onto the Game Day set every time they are in Columbus. There always seems to be one of his genetically superior sons who breaks down like a little girl lost at the mall. Enough. Leave them at home with mom.

Our Top 25 (Oct. 6)

1. Oklahoma (1) 5-0
2. LSU (2) 4-0
3. Missouri (3) 5-0
4. Alabama (4) 6-0
5. Texas (5) 5-0
6. Penn State (6) 6-0
7. USC (9) 3-1
8. BYU (8) 5-0
9. Texas Tech (10) 5-0
10. Ohio State (12) 5-1
11. Florida (14) 4-1
12. Georgia (11) 4-1
13. Vanderbilt (18) 5-0
14. Utah (13) 6-0
15. Boise State (16) 4-0
16. Oklahoma State (21) 5-0
17. Kansas (17) 4-1
18. Virginia Tech (NR) 5-1
19. North Carolina (NR) 4-1
20. Michigan State (23) 5-1
21. South Florida (7) 5-1
22. Ball State (24) 6-0
23. Pittsburgh (NR) 4-1
24. Wake Forest (NR) 3-1
25. Georgia Tech (NR) 4-1

Others receiving votes: Fresno State, California, Florida State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Illinois, Tulsa, Auburn.

Observations from Saturday's games (Sept. 20)

Game watching was even more sporadic today as my daughter decided at 31 months she doesn't need a nap in the afternoon (but I do). Still, I managed to watch much of the Pitt-Iowa, Florida-Tennessee and East Carolina-N.C. State games (and am currently watching Auburn-LSU, while flipping over to Georgia-Arizona State). Like every Saturday evening, here are some interesting observations I made (sorry it's later than expected, but when an old friend calls you stop what you're doing to talk ... great hearing from you Randy).

1. Will Todd Boeckman see the field again at Ohio State? Yes, but not too much. Many of the Buckeye faithful put most of the blame for OSU's big-game difficulties, including last week's humiliating 35-3 loss to USC on Boeckman. On Saturday, when the game began against Troy Coach Jim Tressel started heralded freshman Terrelle Pryor. He proceeded to complete 10-of-16 passes for 139 yards and four scores. Umm, Todd. I'd get the clipboard and enjoy the rest of your senior season.

2. How many more weeks until Tennessee's Phil Fulmer announces his retirement? I'm guessing right before the Vols play Kentucky in the season finale. But it could come earlier if the embarrassing losses continue to mount. Falling to UCLA in the opener was disappointing, but the Rocky Toppers we're willing to chalk it up to bad luck and the West Coast. Lose to 30-6 at home and Rocky Top becomes Rocky Chop. Don't fret Phil. You just face Auburn on the road next Saturday.

3. Is the Heisman race already over? Not yet, but I believe it is just a three-man race. All due respect to Missouri's Chase Daniel, I think Florida's Tim Tebow, USC's Mark Sanchez and Missouri's Jeremy Maclin are going to finish 1-3 in the final balloting. The darkhorse is probably Maclin, but he's the most talented. Watch him pull down Daniel's passes and then outrun everyone else on the field and you realize he's the most exciting receiver since Pitt's Larry Fitzgerald.

4. Is Michigan State's Javon Ringer the nation's best running back? Not a fair question, but man he's impressive. In Saturday's win against Notre Dame he rushed for more than 200 yards and two scores in a pretty easy 23-7 win. He doesn't get the respect of say Georgia's Knowshawn Moreno, Pitt's LeSean McCoy or Ohio State's Beanie Wells. But watch him run and you'll see he resembles a stronger Tony Dorsett.

5. Will Ball State crash the BCS party? Probably not, but after the Cardinals 42-20 victory at Indiana the Mid-American Conference team could be 13-0 after winning the conference championship game. Led by athletic quarterback Nate Davis, Ball State should be 10-0 when it faces the season's final two challenges in Central Michigan and Western Michigan. I'm keeping an eye on this team the rest of the way.

6. How overrated is the Pac-10? If last week wasn't bad enough, the conference was flipped upside down again when Oregon lost at home to Boise State. It really is USC and everyone else.

7. How tough is the SEC? To truly understand all you had to do was watch LSU at Auburn. The speed. The hits. The fans. I'm actually jealous that my sister and brother-in-law live in Tuscaloosa. I'd love to go to more of these games.

8. When will everyone realize that Florida State is not an elite program any longer? Three consecutive losses to Wake Forest is all you need to know.

9. Is West Virginia in trouble when it faces Marshall? Yes. The Herd are playing better this year and are 3-1 following a good road win at Southern Miss. Pat White is still great, but this team is one bad series from turning on good ol' boy Bill Stewart. Morgantown will be burning Saturday, but it could be Stewart in effigy.

10. Dr. Lou? Still hate it.

Navy-Ball State game

In case you aren't watching Navy at Ball State right now let's make one thing clear -- Ball State quarterback Nate Davis can really play. You don't hear about him in the national media quite so much, but I think this guy has NFL potential. He's extremely athletic and has the ability to play on BSU's basketball team. He was stud hoopster and football player at Bellaire High School in Ohio.

How did so many bigger school's miss on this guy?